Finally, Zesshi Zetsumei temporarily rejected Lock's proposal, citing the need to discuss it with Theocracy's high-ranking officials.
However, Lock was not disappointed, because one day, Zesshi Zetsumei would eventually become part of his faction, and even the Theocracy.
After all, no matter how resolute they were, Lock himself was human, and his principles did not conflict with Theocracy's.
When Theocracy encountered an unstoppable disaster, if they wanted to survive, they would inevitably have to submit to Lock's feet; there was no need to rush now.
What Lock was more concerned about was the movements of the Great Tomb; according to Lana, because of him, Ainz and his group had shifted their targets to other countries outside the Kingdom.
Therefore, Demiurge's next move would either be the Holy Kingdom or the Bahaus Empire.
Because, besides the Kingdom, the Theocracy's strength was the greatest, these two human countries were relatively easier to deal with.
As for why they chose human countries, that was, of course, because human races were easy to bully!
The second reason was due to geography.
The Empire, being close to the Great Tomb's location, would eventually be targeted. The Holy Kingdom, on the other hand, was in a relatively secluded area, so even if something happened, news transmission would be delayed, and there was also the enemy of the Demi-human Tribes in the Abelion Hills, allowing the Great Tomb to pin any wrongdoings on the demi-humans.
The Great Tomb's target should lean more towards the Holy Kingdom.
However, even if they wanted to cause trouble, it would still require some preparation time. After being warned by him, Lock did not believe they would dare to open four fronts so recklessly again; if so, perhaps the Great Tomb's NPCs would have to be revived again.
"To be safe, I should still place a ward," Lock thought to himself, then began to enjoy the delicacies in front of him. These past few days had been a bit too stimulating; he should relax first.
For a time, the restaurant fell silent, everyone eating quietly, lost in their own thoughts.
When the dinner was almost over, Lock wiped his mouth with a prepared napkin and was about to leave for his bath when Vier returned.
"Welcome back," Lock gestured for Vier to sit beside him, then snapped his fingers and instructed the ordinary maid serving nearby, "Bring another steak."
Vier first respectfully bowed to Lock, then, without demur, pulled out a chair by the dining table and sat down gracefully.
"Was the Princess sent back to the Royal Palace?"
"Yes, Master. Oh, His Majesty the King asked me to convey his gratitude to you and also proposed to hold a celebration banquet for you. He wanted to inquire about your wishes."
Lock raised an eyebrow. TheOld King was quite sensible, not needing him to remind him. "Vier, tell His Majesty the King to combine the news of my engagement to the Princess with the celebration banquet, but all the Kingdom's nobles must be invited. Especially the six Great Nobles, all of them must be present… Hmm~ How about this, send the Tiger Knights as messengers for the grand event to notify the six Great Nobles who are not in the Royal Capital, do you understand what I mean?"
Vier showed a knowing smile and said, "I understand. However, Master, in that case, the banquet will probably have to be postponed for a while."
"It doesn't matter, I can wait that long," Lock paused, then continued, "Also, invite my father and mother. After all, if a son's engagement ceremony doesn't have his parents attending, it's simply inexcusable."
"Yes. But… Master, Johnson has had some complaints about your actions recently. I'm worried…"
"It's fine. Don't underestimate my father; he's a typical Kingdom noble," Lock chuckled indifferently. His father was probably sulking because he hadn't greeted him; once the Albert Family became the Kingdom's royal family, the old man would probably wake up laughing in his dreams.
Although Lock had no interest in being merely the Kingdom's royal family, his parents would probably be very happy. It was a simple matter, so why not? After all, he wasn't some orphan protagonist.
At this moment, in another corner of the Royal Palace.
Among the Old King's children, besides Princess Lana, there was still one unmarried person, the Second Prince, Senac.
He also resided within the Royal Palace, his bedchamber on the opposite side of Princess Lana's.
Slightly corpulent, with short hair almost reaching his shoulders, Senac stood by the window with a gloomy expression, looking at the dark Royal Palace courtyard, or more precisely, the training tower at the edge of the courtyard.
On the sofa behind him sat a thin man with golden slicked-back hair, carefully reading a document, his brows furrowed.
"Marquis Leiwen, what do you think about this matter?" Senac said in a dull tone without turning around.
The man behind him was one of the Kingdom's six Great Nobles—Marquis Leiwen.
Among the six Great Nobles, his influence was the strongest, and he was the greatest supporter of Senac's claim to the throne.
Marquis Leiwen slowly put down the document in his hand, looked at Senac beside him, and asked, "Your Highness, how credible is this intelligence?"
"I understand what you mean. Although it's hard to believe, I assure you that everything written here is true."
"Not only can he easily defeat the Warrior Captain, but his younger sister also defeated ten high-ranking Adventurers, including Blue Rose, and his subordinate even crushed a hundred-man unit of the Kingdom Warrior Troop with a single arrow…" Marquis Leiwen's eyes flashed with worry. "It seems this Baron Lock is very deeply hidden; I'm afraid we cannot resist him!"
For a long time, Marquis Leiwen had been dedicated to maintaining the Kingdom's stability. To preserve the fragile balance between the King's faction and the noble faction, preventing the country from falling apart due to internal strife had already exhausted him, and now the huge variable of Lock had appeared. This was truly terrible!
"If that Baron relies on his soldiers to act recklessly, then we can unite with other nobles to resist. But he clearly intends to inherit the throne legitimately through my sister." Senac's eyes showed a hint of apprehension; a reckless brute who overuses military force is not terrifying, but one who possesses great power and can still act calmly, that is a schemer.
"Marquis Leiwen, if something were to happen to my sister…"
"Your Highness, I advise you not to entertain such thoughts. Enraging a mighty lion, I'm afraid we would all be devoured by its maw," Marquis Leiwen said faintly, "With all due respect, once something happens to Her Royal Highness the Princess, then all members of the royal family, except His Majesty the King, will not escape harm. If it were me, that's what I would do."
"So, according to you, I can only wait for death?" Senac said with a bitter smile.
Although it was also possible that his sister, with the support of Baron Lock, would defeat her brother and him, and finally successfully inherit the throne, such a beautiful ending.
But he guessed that it was highly probable that the two of them would disappear from the struggle for the throne due to 'death by illness' or similar reasons, because that was the most convenient method.
…" Marquis Leiwen was silent for a while before he spoke, "Perhaps there are other ways; let's think about it carefully. It's getting late, Your Highness. If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave first."
Senac watched Marquis Leiwen turn and walk out of the room, unable to help but shake his head.
Although he could have chosen to conceal it, this was not a wise approach, because one day, Marquis Leiwen would still discover the truth.
The relationship between them was said to be led by him, but it was more of a partnership.
Rather than being resented and abandoned in the future, it was better to hope that at a critical moment, this former partner could help him, at the very least, helping him escape the Kingdom would be excellent.
Now, it was probably not just him; many people in the Royal Capital would not be able to sleep tonight.
Time flowed, and the scorching sun once again illuminated the entire Royal Capital.
Early in the morning, a large number of noble carriages rushed towards the Royal City, and this strange phenomenon immediately sparked heated discussions among the people of the Royal Capital, wondering what had happened again.
"What's going on? It's not the annual day to see the King, is it?"
"You don't know yet? Yesterday, a Royal Tournament was held in the suburbs, and I heard a large number of monsters attacked, and His Majesty the King almost got into trouble!"
"Ah! What exactly happened? Tell me quickly!"
"My great-uncle's cousin's fourth son's concubine's lover happens to be a member of the Kingdom Warrior Troop, and he said…"
Just as the citizens who knew some of the facts were excitedly spreading the news, a large number of the Kingdom's nobles had already gathered in the Royal Palace's council chamber.
Ramposa III sat majestically on the throne, guarded by Warrior Captain Gazef beside him.
The nobles stood according to their factions, and when almost all the attendees were present, it signaled the start of the meeting.
"Your Majesty, what has happened that you have called such an urgent meeting?"
With scars on his face, looking more like a warrior than a noble, Marquis Borolorop was the first to ask.
He was the leader of the noble faction and had only just arrived in the Royal Capital yesterday. Although he had received some information from his subordinates, he did not have a detailed understanding of the events that occurred yesterday.
He had his guesses about the content of today's meeting, but still wanted to confirm with His Majesty the King.
"Today's court meeting is merely to announce something to everyone. In yesterday's Royal Tournament, the promising Baron Lock has passed my test, and even when encountering a monster attack, he not only saved my life and the lives of many nobles but also rescued the abducted Princess Lana. Therefore, I have decided to elevate Baron Lock's title to Count and betroth him to Princess Lana, making him one of my sons-in-law."
Many of the nobles present were prepared; although surprised by His Majesty the King's conferment of title on Lock, they all wisely remained silent, because those who had not witnessed the power of Lock and his Tiger Knights would surely raise questions on their behalf.
Indeed, no sooner had the Old King's words fallen than someone spoke.
"Please wait! His Majesty the King, the matter of titles is not trivial; it concerns the stability of the Kingdom's system. Is it too rash to arbitrarily bestow titles upon low-ranking nobles?"
For a moment, all the nobles who had participated in yesterday's tournament looked at this outspoken person with mocking eyes. Soon, there would be a good show to watch, and perhaps they could also discern Baron Lock's attitude towards the Kingdom's nobles, which would determine their next course of action.
"I have already decided this matter; there is no need for further discussion," the Old King gazed at the member of the noble faction, offering no further explanation, only saying faintly.
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